Door mechanism



Nov. 30, 1943. F. DITCHFIELD DOOR MECHANISM Filed Sept. 50, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l raswr p/rm /zzo F. DITCHFIELD DOOR MECHANISM Filed Sept Nov. 30, 1943.

. 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 moved as indicated at 2|.

Patented Nov. 30, 1943 DOOR MECHANISM Frank'Ditchfield; Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 30, 1941, Serial No. 413,015

11 Claims.

This invention relates to door mechanism and is primarily directed to door lifting and supporting mechanism for sliding car doors.

It is an object of this invention to provide door mechanism operable in either direction in a plane parallel to the door for elevating and supporting doors for opening and closing movement.

A further object is to provide door lifting and supporting mechanism which may be either single or double acting.

A further object is to provide single or double acting door lifting and supporting mechanism wherein the force required to lift the door is held to a minimum.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the lower portion of a sliding door illustrating the lifting and supporting mechanism therefor embodying the instant invention, parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section'taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig, 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing the door in elevated position by movement of the lever in one direction 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the door in elevated position by movement of the lever in the opposite direction.

Referring to the drawings the door utilized to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the.

invention comprises a metallic panel ll formed with a plurality of horizontal corrugations 12 which merge at their ends into vertical corrugations formed in the panel, one of the latter being shown at l3. Suitable reinforcement is employed for the marginal portions of the door. For the lower marginal portion an angle member I4 is used. The vertical leg l of the angle member I4 extends upwardly and is disposed between the lower margin of the metallic panel and a backing plate 16 being fastened thereto by means of rivets. The horizontal leg I! of the angle member extends outwardly and is adapted when the door is in its normally lowered position to frictionally engage and support the door upon a track l8. This track is in the form of an angle member, the flange l9 being disposed horizontally and the flange 20' extending downwardly therefrom.

Adjacent the lower corners of the door rec'- tangular sections of the metallic panel are re- Metallic plates 22-22 of greater thickness than the metallic panel extend across the openings thus formed in the metallic panel and are secured thereto and to the backing plate and the vertical flange of the bottom reinforcing angle as by means of rivets. These plates are provided with bearings 23-23 and with Vertical slots 24-24,'the lower ends of which are closed as indicated at 25-25.

Housing members 26-23 are secured to the door in overlapping relationship with the metallic plates. The housing members comprise hollow body portions 21-21, the outer walls 28-28 of which are spaced outwardly of the metallic panel. At their lower portions the metallic walls 28-28 are formed with hook-shaped members 29-29 which embrace the depending vertical 'flange of the track to prevent accidental disengagement of the door from the track.

' Disposed within the hollow body portions of the housing members are rollers 33-38 which are adapted to rest upon the horizontal flange IQ of the track l8. These rollers carry pins ill-3!, the outer ends of which are formed with flat faces 32-32 and 33-33 which are disposed within the slots 24-24 formed in the plates 22-22 and within slots 34-34 formed in the outer wal s 28-28 of the housing members. The lower ends of slots 34-34 are closed as indicated at 35-35 so that in cooperation with the closed ends of the slots 24-24 accidental loss of the rollers and pins is precluded.

Also disposed within the hollow body portions of the housing members are members 35-36 which comprise cam cheek pieces 31-31 and 38-38 connected together into a unitary structure at their upper ends by means of the connecting webs 33-39. Extending from the cams 31-31 are trunnions 40-40 journalled in the bearings 23-23 provided in the plates 22-22. Similarly, trunnions ll-4| extend from the cams 38-38 and are journalled in bearings 42-42 formed in the outer walls 23-23 of the housing members.

The cams are of the shape clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and are adapted to bear upon the disk-like members 43-43 and 44-44 rotatably mounted upon the pins 3l-3l on opposite sides of the rollers 38-38 during elevation and movement of the door along the track.

The cams are connected together for simultaneous movement by means of a bar 45 the ends of which are flattened as indicated at 46. Pins 41-41 extend through openings 48-48" formed in the flattened ends of the bar and through alined openings in the cams and in bosses 49-49 formed on the inner faces of the cams 38--38. These bosses are utilized additionally to maintain the bar in the desired position and prevent sliding of the bar 45 on the pins by which it is secured to the cams.

Movement of the cams is obtained by means of a lever 50 fastened upon the trunnion Mi journalled in the outer wall 28 of the housing member secured to the door adjacent to the lower forward corner thereof. The lever is guided and retained by means of a flange 5| extending upwardly from the hollow body portion of the nous-- ing member and is provided with angularly related handle portions 52 and 53, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to facilitate actuation of the lever in either direction in a plane parallel to the door.

Assuming the door to be closed it may be elevated above the track and supported upon the rollers by actuation of the lever in a clockwise direction, the right hand handle of the lever being employed. This actuation of the lever imparts corresponding movement to the cams with which the lever is connected and through the connecting bar to the remainin cams. During this movement of the cams they bear upon the peripheries of the disk-like members and by reason of their shape effect elevation of the door. Since the disk-like members are rotatably mounted upon the roller pins there is a rolling action of the cams upon the disk-like members, thereby substantially reducing friction. Moreover, the cams are so designed in their relationship to the disk-like members that contact of the cams upon the peripheries of these members takes place closely adjacent to the vertical diameter of said members throughout the entire elevation of the door. Accordingly, the force required to be exerted upon the lever to elevate the door is held to a minimum. At the fully elevated position of the door the cams engage stop members 5 i-54 formed on the housing members, thereby preventing further movement of the cams.

Since the cams are symmetrical about a vertical plane, elevation of the door may be obtained by actuation of the lever in the opposite direction. For this purpose the left hand handle of the lever is grasped and the lever moved counterclockwise. The operation of the mechanism will then be the same as hereinabove described except that the movement of the parts of the mechanism takes place in the opposite direction. In order to limit counterclockwise movement of the cams when the door is fully elevated, stops 5555 are formed on the housin members.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with door mechanism which is double acting or operable in either direction in a plane parallel to the doors, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited but may utilize as well cams which are operable only in a single direction in a plane parallel to the door. Moreover, the invention isnot limited to the particular shape of the cam illustrated but as will be evident to those skilled in the art, other shapes may be employed.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details Of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be, comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope Of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, roller pins, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said pins, cams having trunnion adapted to be journalled in the door, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portions of said members, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement and a lever mounted on one of said trunnions.

2. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, roller pins, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said pins, cams having trunnions adapted to be journalled in the door, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portions of said members, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement and a lever mouned on one of said trunnions, said cams extending on either side of vertical planes including the axes of said pins, said lever and cams being rotatable in either direction in a plane parallel to the door.

3. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, roller pins, means rotatably mounted on said pins, cams having trunnion adapted to be journalled in a door above said means, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said means, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement, one of said trunnions projecting outwardly beyond said door, and a lever mounted on said one trunnion on the outside of said door.

4. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, means rotatably carried by said rollers, cams having trunnions adapted to be journalled in a door, said cams being symmetrical about a vertical plane including the axis of said trunnions and adapted to have rolling bearing upon said means, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement, and a lever mounted on one of said trunnions.

5. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rolling means, means carried by said rolling means, said latter means being movable with respect to said rolling means, cams having trunnions adapted to be journalled in a door above said means, said cams being adapted to haverolling bearing upon said second mentioned means, a member connecting said cams for simultaneous movement, one of said trunnions projecting outwardly beyond said door, and a lever mounted on said one trunnion on the outside of said door.

6. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rolling means, means carried by said rolling means, said latter means being movable with respect to said rolling means, cams having trunnions adapted to be journalled in a door above said means, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing uponsaid second mentioned means, a member connecting said cams for simultaneous movement, and a lever mounted on one of said trunnions, said cams and lever being movable in either direction ina plane parallel to the door. I

, 7. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, means carried by said rollers, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said means, cams having trunnions adapted-to be journalled in the door, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved-portions ot-said members, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement and a lever mounted on one of said trunnions.

8. Door mechanism of the character described comprising a roller, means carried by said roller, a member provided with a curved portion rotatably mounted on said means, a cam, means adapted to journal said cam in said door, said cam being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portion of said member to elevate said door.

9. Door mechanism of the character described comprising a roller, means carried by said roller, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said means on opposite sides of said roller, said members being smaller than said roller so as not to project beyond the periphery of said roller, cams, means adapted to rotatably mount said cams on a door, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portions of said members on opposite sides of said roller.

10. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, means carried by each of said rollers, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said means on op-' Cal posite sides of each roller, said members being smaller than said rollers so as not to project beyond the peripheries thereof, a member straddling each roller having trunnions adapted to be journalled in a door above each roller, each of said last mentioned members providing cams adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portions of the adjacent rotatable members, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement, and a lever mounted on one of said trunnions.

11. Door mechanism of the character described comprising spaced rollers, means carried by said rollers, members provided with curved portions rotatably mounted on said means, cams adapted to be rotatably mounted on a door, said cams being adapted to have rolling bearing upon said curved portions of said rotatable members, means connecting said cams for simultaneous movement and means for actuating said cams, the bearing of said cams on said rotatable members being closely adjacent to the vertical diameter of said rollers throughout the movement of said cams.

FRANK DI'IfCHFIELD. 

